Evolution of footwear through the ages

The use of footwear is as old as human history. The making of
footwear originated 5 million years ago in pre-historic period. Tough
climatic conditions seems to be the main reason why shoes became an
essential. Nevertheless, there are a couple of other data that testifies
the application of shoes became widespread at the term of Paleolithic
Period. This was actually the span when people began to tan leather.

Before this procedure, the footwear was simply made from wrappings
which applied desiccated grasses or leather without being tanned. Soon
after this, an oval piece was developed. This was bound by leather
flip-flops to craft the primitive footwear. The flip-flops used today or
the ones that were the earliest stitched shoes have in fact evolved
from this ancient type of wrap.

Even the Egyptians had crafted leather in the most elegant way for footwear. For them footwear was a symbol of status and power.

There was also a distinction between the sandals worn by the Pharaohs
and the common Egyptians. The sandals of the pharaohs carried a typical
toe which wasn’t there in the footwear of common people. They prepared
flat footwear from materials like straw, papyrus, palm fibre.
Afterwards, the women footwear was beautified with jewels and precious
stones.

Even the Greeks were not far behind in crafting footwear. From
historic evidence it shows that the Greeks loved to take care of their
feet. The Greeks had footwear for almost every activity. Their shoes
were meant to indicate elegance, beauty, class and extravagance. For the
Greeks, it’s famous that the females wore high heels to attract men.
high-heeled sandals create a distinctive noise when the wearer walks and
this very sound symbolized the flaunting of sexual charms.

The footwear made by Romans was more long-lasting. It was developed
from tough leather thongs so that the masses don’t find it difficult to
complete their voyage on foot. The obsession for shoes actually to have
originated from the Romans. Their footwear was a symbol of class. They
made various patterns in boots for everybody. For instance, the senators
wore brown shoes, the consuls had white coloured while the rest of the
people had to wear short boots that lacked the toes.

All these civilizations had one common aspect. The footwear they wore
revealed their public image. It was used along with some other garments
that were meant for hygiene but also for the beautification or the
adornment of the feet.

The footwear items were made out of a host of materials like leather,
canvas, wood and plastic. Earlier footwear pieces were made from the
available substances like straw, cowhide, grasses and leather.

An individual’s personality is perceived incomplete without shoes
because it’s an extension of your personality. If you wear proper shoes,
they will tell loads about your personality. Since modernization shoe
crafting hasn’t remained an intricate process.

However, one cannot ignore the fact that various kinds of footwear were present and used even by the ancient civilizations.

The people of that time wore moccasins to protect from extreme chill
weather but that is worn in cold places today as well. The same is the
case with the sandals patterned by the people of Egypt that are used by
countries having warm climate.